


We did everything right

by Utuinen



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Gen, Late Night Conversations, Mentions of alcohol, No Patch 5.1 Spoilers, Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers Spoilers, Unnamed Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), also Ardbert is mentioned a lot but isn't actually there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-27
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:08:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21585898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Utuinen/pseuds/Utuinen
Summary: It was by far not the first time she spent time alone in her chambers with a man, not even late at night like this, but she guessed it was still only natural it felt a little embarrassing for her as well as G’raha, who did an admirable job of hiding his blush and sat down opposite from her seat. It made her smile, remembering one of those other nights. How they had talked late into the night, laughing about silly things, choosing to forget their circumstances for a short while. By the twelve, she missed Ardbert.Even though everything is relatively well, the Warrior of Light can't shake some of the words her old friend said to her. G'raha Tia offers to listen to her troubles.
Relationships: Ardbert & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch & Warrior of Light
Kudos: 16





	We did everything right

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this exists because _I_ can't stop thinking about that one exchange still and can't believe it has not been addressed ever since.
> 
> And also because once when I was sitting in the Pendants waiting for mahjong to pop I happened to notice the blue bottle that kinda sticks out on the shelf and started imagining.

Now that the night had properly returned to Lakeland and there was no longer reason to worry about the Lightwardens or Emet-Selch, it felt different to spent the night in the Pendants. The window was open, a cool breeze blowing inside, the cloudless sky full of stars. Such a familiar sight, yet so strange.

Without the primordial Light, lanterns had been lit all around the city, their light not even nearly the same harsh whiteness the people had so hated, but learned to live with when given no other options. However, in the Warrior of Light’s--or Warrior of Darkness’, if you had asked anyone in the town--room no lanterns were lit.

She sat by the table, the only sources of light the moon and stars outside and the fire still burning low in the stove from when she had boiled tea water for herself, its golden warmth casting shadows around the room. Most varieties of tealeaves from the city’s reservoirs she had tried during her stays at the inn were more or less slightly bitter, but she didn’t really mind. This time it was possibly even ideal, as it was a perfect counter for the sweetness of the whole lemon curd sachertorte someone had decided to gift her earlier. She had already taken a hearty slice on her plate and was just about to taste it, when she heard a knock on the door.

”Pardon me this late hour, my friend, but I thought to ask you-- Oh I’m sorry, were you already in bed?”

In her mind, she  _ knew _ G’raha Tia was back and things had returned to relative normality after all that had happened, if you didn’t count how the other Scions were still stuck in the First, but still somehow the idea that he could just visit her like this again felt a bit strange. It was a happy feeling, though, every time she saw he was alive and well.

”I wasn’t. Come in, Raha,” she smiled and stepped back to let the man inside. His ears twitched, which she knew not only to be an embarrassed habit but also a pleased one. She waved towards the table. ”Please sit down. There’s enough cake for us both and company makes me feel a lot better about late-night snacking like this.”

It was by far not the first time she spent time alone in her chambers with a man, not even late at night like this, but she guessed it was still only natural it felt a little embarrassing for her as well as G’raha, who did an admirable job of hiding his blush and sat down opposite from her seat. When she went to get a teacup for him, a glass bottle on an upper shelf caught her eye, the liquid inside almost glowing a soft blue as a remnant of the bioluminescent flowers it was made from. It made her smile, remembering one of those other nights. How they had talked late into the night, laughing about silly things, choosing to forget their circumstances for a short while. By the twelve, she missed Ardbert.

Without much thinking, she grabbed the bottle as well.

”So, you meant to ask me something?” she set the teacup in front of G’raha and rounded the table, sitting down on her own seat and then placing the bottle on the table.

”Yes, I--” G’raha started but his focus shifted to the blue bottle. ”Do you know what that is?”

”You came all the way here to ask me about local alcohol?” she raised her eyebrows and chuckled. She couldn’t help teasing him a little.

”No, of course not... It’s just very strong is all, it’s not good if you aren’t prepared,” he said.

”I know. I’ve had it before,” she smiled reassuringly. What he didn’t need to know, however, was that the first time she had tried the liquor, she certainly hadn’t been prepared. She had never seen Ardbert laugh as hard as he did at her face when she coughed and gagged after the first sip. It had felt like drinking liquid fire. Almost. She would have loved to see him try it to see just how well _ he  _ could take it--of course he  _ said  _ he had always had a good tolerance for the stuff--but unfortunately he couldn’t drink it any more than he could touch or interact with anything else, either. By the end of the night she had gotten used to the drink and even liked the taste, but she understood why the room had only been stocked with one rather small bottle. No one could possibly need more, even if you shared with friends.

She reached for the teakettle, filling G’raha’s cup. The tea was still pleasantly warm, its fragrance a bit flowery and made her think of the Hortorium.

”Thank you,” G’raha smiled softly and gently swirled the cup with his non-crystal hand, not drinking the tea but instead looking down at it. ”What I meant to ask was... You’ve seemed a little down lately. More than... more than you let the others understand. I was wondering if you’re not only worried about your friends’ situation but something else as well, and... if you don’t mind... I could offer to listen to your concerns?”

She had not expected that. She knew that deep down everyone worried. Still, their situation wasn’t immediately alarming--surely with time they could work it out. But it hadn’t been the only thing heavy on her mind, it was true, she just thought she had hidden it better.

She was tempted to brush the matter off, there was a reason she hadn’t talked about it with anyone. But G’raha was offering, and the longer the silence between them stretched on, the more she wanted to tell him everything. He would listen. And he could think about it with her, a way to make everything end well. ”It’s... You know how this world used to have its own Warriors of Light before, right?”

G’raha nodded, clearly a bit taken aback because he had been almost sure already that she wasn’t going to answer.

”The ones who caused the Flood.”

”Yes. And that’s the thing... I’ve been thinking. How can we stop the same from happening in the Source?”

G’raha blinked. He didn’t understand.

”What I mean is... Isn’t that what I’m doing? The exact same thing they were doing. They weren’t trying to destroy the world, they were trying to save it. And they did. Many times,” while she talked, her eyes drifted and she didn’t see the room in front of her anymore. She saw her friend, when they hadn’t been friends yet, remembered the desperate way he and his friends had fought. The way he had yelled those words.  _ We did everything right! _

”Yet, when they destroyed the Darkness, they caused the Flood. And Hydaelyn... That’s Hydaelyn’s whole reason to exist. To destroy the Darkness. Zodiark. And I am her champion. What if... what  _ our _ world really needed was for me to die now? Before I could...”

”Don’t say that,” G’raha’s voice was barely audible, soft, but still somehow stern.

”It was a disaster, your death. Our world needs you, I’m sure of that,” he continued. She realized how insensitive her words must have sounded to him. He had done everything to save her, even planned to die for her sake. But still--

”Do not get me wrong, Raha. I am not saying this out of ungratefulness. I merely wish-- No, I believe it’s really something we should stop to consider while we still have the time. What are we doing to seize a better fate than the one that befall this shard? What should we be doing?” she said, allowing the usual stoicness of her expression to give in to uncertainty. It was rare for her to be this unguarded in the presence of others, both in manner and in attire, with the armor already discarded next to her bed and only the soft cotton of the nightgown as her shield against the world.

”I promised him,” she said and watched as G’raha Tia understood and accepted her confirming she had known the First’s Warrior of Light personally in a blink of an eye. Had she talked about it before? She couldn’t remember. ”I promised I would learn from his mistakes, yet I have not done anything differently during these years. And it’s near impossible to take it up with anyone, because what else can I do than what I’m already doing? The Ascians cannot be allowed to continue with their plan, that much is clear. But still, what if for as far as the world is concerned, the outcome of my actions is just as bad or... worse?”

”That cannot be,” G’raha said with a stubborn expression. ”But... I understand it worries you. And yes, it’s... something we haven’t considered before. Or if the rest of your friends have, they haven’t said anything about it to me.”

From his face it was clear that he, too, worried about it now. He looked down at the table deep in thought. She wondered if she should tell the one last thing on her mind or to keep that to herself, but G’raha  _ had _ offered to listen to her himself, so maybe she shouldn’t feel like she was bothering him. And after having said everything else, she realized she really wanted to be able to voice this, too. Especially since she no longer had Ardbert with her, who always seemed to know just what she was going through. Or, at the very least, offered her his confidential ear.

So she said the rest aloud, too. ”In my final fight against him. Emet-Selch. He couldn’t differentiate between the primordial Light inside me and Her Blessing at first. And what’s scary is that... neither could I. For a moment.”

”They’re that similar? The feel of it?” G’raha said with knitted brows.

”Before I would have said they are not, but... for that one moment, I really couldn’t tell the difference,” she said slowly. It was even true it had taken massive amounts of Light to corrupt her aether enough for her to feel it, even though Y’shtola had been able to see its effects well before. If she were ever to get  _ oversaturated _ again, she wouldn’t know about it for a good while.

”I’m sorry, my friend. I don’t think I have an easy answer to give you,” G’raha said eventually, after a long silence and multiple swirls of the teacup in his hands. ”But I promise you it’s something we’ll be thinking about. Do you wish to keep this from the others still?”

She nodded.

”For now, at least. I think... until we have a safe way to get them home,” she said. Most of the other Scions had been there when they had fought Ardbert, but she didn’t know if his words had haunted any of them after that day.

”Alright. Then it’ll stay between us for now,” G’raha said and nodded as well.

”Good. Thank you, Raha,” she smiled and felt like a weight was partially lifted from her shoulders. ”Now, if you would kindly drink some of the tea, please?”

”Of course. How impolite of me,” G’raha smiled back at her.

From there on the mood got happier. Suddenly they were just like any two old friends sharing a moment together, talking about lighter matters and not wallowing in the heaviness of their lives. After they finished their tea and cakes, she opened the glass bottle and poured each of them half a cup of the blue alcohol. The glow illuminated their faces and reflected beautifully from the crystal crawling over G’raha Tia’s skin. She got to laugh at his face when he downed the cup, visible shudder traveling all across his body from his tail to his ears.

”I know I have had years to get used to it, but I just can’t stand the stuff...” he said quietly, more to himself than to her.

”You really don’t have to drink it,” she said fighting back the laughter, shaking her head.

”No, no, pour me another,” he said stubbornly, and so she did.

The fire in the stove turned to cinders and the shadows in the room deepened. Outside the window, in the city, people finished their daily work and prepared for bed, some children trying to learn the constellations in those few hours they were still allowed to stay awake, something they had never had the chance for before.

The Source. The First. All the rest of the shards. She cherished them all too much to allow them to be wiped out by anyone’s actions. Even her own. 

Or Hers.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to let me know if you liked it! ♥


End file.
